Your heart’s electrical system is a network of cells and nodes that generates and delivers the electrical impulses that coordinate the organ’s pumping action. When something goes wrong with this “cardiac conduction system,” you may need a pacemaker to rectify the problem.
At Sunnyvale Cardiology in Sunnyvale, Texas, our cardiologists routinely prescribe pacemakers to counteract certain arrhythmias and treat congestive heart failure. A pacemaker can:
Here, our team discusses the ins and outs of pacemakers — and takes a closer look at what you can expect when your device is surgically implanted.
Pacemakers are used to treat people who have problems that cause their heart to beat too slowly, a condition called bradycardia. A slow heartbeat can starve your brain and body of oxygen, triggering a range of symptoms that can make you less active.
By keeping your heartbeat up to speed, a pacemaker helps prevent chronic — and sometimes debilitating — problems like fatigue, lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting (syncope), and poor endurance during exercise.
A pacemaker can also be used to treat problems that cause a fast heartbeat (tachycardia), or one that’s irregular, like atrial fibrillation. When it’s used to coordinate the beating of the heart chambers in severe heart failure, a pacemaker can be lifesaving.
A pacemaker is a very small implantable device that consists of a tiny computer circuit and a battery (pulse generator) and one or more wires (pacing leads) that attach to your heart.
Programmed to adjust their discharge rate in response to your body’s needs, pacemakers work on demand. If the device senses that your heartbeat is too slow, the pulse generator sends electrical impulse signals at a steady rate to your heart through the pacing leads.
If the pacemaker senses a normal heartbeat, it doesn’t emit any signals.
Most pacemakers are rate responsive, meaning they have a special sensor that recognizes body movement or increased breathing rate. This enables them to speed up the electrical impulse discharge rate when you’re physically active.
Pacemaker implantation is a relatively straightforward surgical procedure. In most cases, it’s done with the aid of a local anesthetic and IV sedation — which means pain sensations will be numbed, but you’ll be awake.
The best surgical approach — catheter-based, transvenous, or epicardial — depends on the type of pacemaker you’re getting (single chamber, dual chamber, or biventricular), the number of pacing leads it has (which correspond to the number of heart chambers that require connection), and the condition that’s being treated.
The most common pacemaker implantation method is transvenous, or through a vein. During this procedure, your cardiologist:
Transvenous pacemaker implantation can take two to five hours to complete, depending on the number of pacing leads involved. Afterward, you’ll remain in the hospital overnight to ensure the device is working properly and programmed to meet your needs.
Most people who are fitted with a pacemaker also rely on medication to regulate their heartbeat. If medications are part of your cardiac treatment plan, be sure to take them as prescribed — these medicines work with your pacemaker to control your heartbeat.
Other than avoiding heavy lifting and strenuous exercise for six weeks, you should be able to resume your usual activities following surgery.
Because the pulse generator portion of your pacemaker is positioned just beneath your skin near your collarbone, you may be aware of its presence right after surgery. Most people don’t notice it after about eight weeks, once the device has settled firmly into place.
To learn more about what to expect during your pacemaker implantation procedure at Sunnyvale Cardiology, give us a call today — or use our easy online scheduler to book an appointment at your convenience.
